author
Tom Hall
1862–1900
A lively American writer of prose and verse, he was known for short, witty magazine-style writing and for books that mixed light humor with romance and adventure. His career was brief, but his work captures the quick, bright tone of the late nineteenth century.
1 Audiobook
When hearts are trumps
by Tom Hall
About the author
Thomas Winthrop Hall, who wrote as Tom Hall, was born in Ogdensburg, New York, in 1862 and died in Hannibal, Missouri, in 1900. Reference works from the period describe him as an American writer of both prose and verse, and list titles including An Experimental Wooing, Tales by Tom Hall, The Fun and Fighting of the Rough Riders, and the poetry collection When Hearts Are Trumps.
His writing appeared to range from light social and romantic verse to brisk, popular prose. The surviving descriptions of his work suggest a style aimed at a broad readership: quick, entertaining, and often playful rather than solemn.
Because Hall died young, his literary career was relatively short. Even so, his books and poems preserve a vivid snapshot of turn-of-the-century popular writing in America.